need them to replicate dns between the two servers but running into some trouble. domain1.com is a windows 2003 sbs domain, and remote.domain1.com is a windows 2003 domain. the two domains share IP connectivity via nailed up vpn, and i need them to essentially share the same dns. is the best way to do this via zone xfers? or would i need to create a trust along with stub zones on both dns servers for each corresponding domain? any help would be greatly appreciated. this is a bit over my head.

This provides the highest level of fault tolerance, you'll be able to resolve names even if the other server is down.

It's the most demanding (not that it should daunt you).

2. Stub Zones

With Stub Zones you'll need the other server up to be able to resolve names. Probably not a problem, this option is easier to maintain / configure than the Secondary zone.

It can cope with changing name servers, but that's unlikely to be an issue here.

3. Conditional Forwarders

This is the easiest to set up, but, like stub zones, won't give you name resolution if the other server is down.

I suspect your easiest option is to use Conditional Forwarders. If you'd like to give those a try, the following instructions apply:

1. Open the DNS Console
2. Open the Properties for the server
3. Select the Forwarders tab
4. In the domain name box (from memory, apologies if incorrect) enter the remote domain name (e.g. remote.domain1.com)
5. With that new entry selected, enter the IP address of the server on domain1.com

Repeat these steps on the other server, this time adding a conditional forwarder to domain1.com.

Then you just need to test it. Run "nslookup remote.domain1.com" from the server on domain1. And I'm sure you can guess the other version :)

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